Abstracts from early newspaper articles with a connection to Berkeley County, Virginia/West Virginia
and what was later referred to as the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Berkeley County was created by an
act of the House of Burgesses and formed from the northern third of Frederick County, Virginia, in 1772. On January 8, 1801, Jefferson County was formed from Berkeley County's
eastern section, and on February 9, 1820, Morgan County was formed from Berkeley's western section.

Note: This information was extracted from the newspapers and is only as good as the
editors/reporters who wrote the information (i.e., errors in spelling, dates, locations, etc.). Often, it is
not the entire article and isn?t always verbatim; all exact wording is within quotation marks. However, all
names are exactly as they appeared in the newspapers, even though they may be misspelled. There may be additional
information in the newspapers mentioned (although all effort has been made to include all names, dates and
locations of those with a connection to the area); it is being offered here to provide a starting point for your research. Please note first names were not always given and exact locations were not always available; for example if there is a city listed here, such as Great Falls, but no state included,
then it wasn?t in the newspaper article and couldn?t be determined because there may be more than one city in the U.S. with that name. For cities that are recognizable and in which there is only one, i.e., Baltimore (Maryland),
Richmond (Virginia) and the like, the state wasn?t always included ? some of the more recognizable cities and their states are listed at the end for reference. All references to Berkeley County are to West Virginia, not South Carolina
(where a Berkeley County also exists) and all references to Martinsburg are for Berkeley County, not any other Martinsburg in the country. For more information on the newspapers, see the newspaper section at the end - note: not all
newspapers have additional information; therefore, research is being done to see if these newspapers are available. It is likely they are all available on microfilm at the Library of Congress and many of them through the
Family History Center?s microfilm library.

If there is no date given in the description of the events, one cannot automatically assume the event occurred the same date as that of the newspaper entry. Often, the newspaper article will say last
Tuesday, today, yesterday or other words that can indicate the date, based on the date of the newspaper entry. Other times, it will just have to be presumed the event occurred within a short time of the newspaper entry. All dates
given after the abbreviations for the newspaper are the dates of appearance in the paper, not the event date. If there is a question mark in parentheses following a name or location, it means the copy was so poor it was difficult to
read; the best interpretation of the characters is included. Please also note some of the information in the transcriptions may be ?distasteful? to some readers (explanation of injuries suffered in an accident) and can occasionally be
?politically incorrect,? but since it is history, it is being presented here in that light.

There is a website where you can determine the actual date for ?last Sunday? or the day of the week it was for a certain date — check out this page. Enter the number of the month, the date and the year and
click on Update — for example, enter 7 4 1906 and the date converter will tell you it was a Wednesday. Therefore, if someone married last Sunday, you can presume the actual marriage date was July 1. If it said "a week ago Sunday," the marriage date would have been
June 24.

The data on these pages may not be used for any commercial interest and is included for your own genealogical use only. See section below on abbreviations for newspaper names and explanations of other acronyms used.

Click on the first letter of your ancestor's surname to be taken to a page where you can browse those extracts on individuals whose last names begin with that letter of the alphabet.

Please note these pages are under major construction and even those linked here are incomplete. New links and new data
will be added frequently. If the first letter of a surname (or the actual surname) you are looking for does not have an active link (but appears that it
should, e.g. "— see SIMPSON"), it will as soon as new data and pages are added. Thanks for your patience.

RAMSBERG, C.A., a farmer, alleged that his life had been threatened by a 13-year-old youth if he did not
put $250 in $1 bills in a stone pile near the boy's home. The police said they have obtained a confession
from the boy who is a high school student of the Van Clevesville district — CDM 8 Nov 1930.

RANDOLPH, Mr. Beverly, Martinsburg, a civil engineer who was the contractor for the Utica Mills iron
bridge spanning Fishing Creek at Utica, has completed the project, which is reported to be “a substantial
piece of work” estimated to be equal to a resistance of 30 tons weight — WN 2 Dec 1884.

REAVES, John H., Martinsburg, is a Tau Beta Pi candidate at West Virginia University — CDM
28 Nov 1941.

RECCI, Vincenzo, the Italian quarryman accused of attacking the little daughter of Pola Pola at the big
spring quarry near Martinsburg on August 15, was still at large last night, but the officers searching believe
his capture is imminent. RECCI is said to be a dangerous man and is armed with a big revolver. The search
for him is under the direction of Prosecuting Attorney DOWNEY, who has had four posses and several
automobiles filled with armed deputies searching every likely hiding place in the area — WP 17 Aug 1913.

REYNOLDS, John P., 42, an Englishman who lived in Martinsburg for many years, died at the home of his
brother-in-law, A.B. LUDWIG, in Middletown, Pennsylvania, November 13. Death was caused by acute alcoholism
— BDT 15 Nov 1902.

RICE, Homer, 25, quarryman, died at a hospital in Martinsburg late yesterday of injuries suffered when
he fell under a branch line train while trying to board it. Both legs and one arm were amputated; he died
while surgeons were trying to give him relief — CDM 21 Mar 1934.

RICHARDS, Pvt. John N., 22, of Martinsburg, was one of four patients at the William Beaumont General
hospital to receive the Purple Heart yesterday for bravery displayed at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 —
CDM 30 Apr 1942.

RIPPLE, J.M., Martinsburg, was named trustee to fill the unexpired term of the late representative Lynn S. HORNER of Clarksburg, West Virginia, who had served 10 years in that position for the West Virginia Elks’ Association — CDM 4 Nov 1933.

RITENOUR, LeRoy, manager of a tire store in Martinsburg, suffered burns and shock May 18 and several
passersby narrowly escaped injury when a violent explosion wrecked the storeroom of the store. A large plate
glass window of the store was shattered and nearly struck the pedestrians. RITENOUR, who had been cleaning
a speed board with gasoline in the rear of the building, said the explosion occurred immediately after he
had started the motor for testing. Firemen extinguished the flames and RITENOUR was moved to a hospital
— CDM 19 May 1940.

ROACH, Eldridge, 17, Martinsburg, died of a bullet to his stomach, the result of an accidental shooting
by another youth — CDM 10 Sep 1936.

ROACH, Harry Arthur Jr., 8, was accidentally killed in Berkeley County when his father’s truck overturned
as the senior ROACH tried to avoid striking a dog, according to coroner C.G. POWER — CDM 3 Sep 1940.

ROBINSON, J. Norris, Dr., 30, who for five years was a clerk in the central office bureau of the
Washington , D.C. Metropolitan police department, died Thursday at his home in Martinsburg; his body will be
brought to Washington today for an afternoon burial in Glenwood Cemetery. Members of the police department
will be pallbearers. While Dr. ROBINSON was in Washington, he studied dentistry at George Washington
University and graduated from there two years ago as honor man in his class. He immediately opened an office,
while at the same time continued to hold his position with the police department. A short while after
undertaking to practice the profession he had adopted, he contracted tuberculosis. Though the ravages of
the disease caused him to stop work, he was maintained in his clerkship until April last when he went to
Martinsburg to the home of his parents in an effort to regain his health. In addition to his parents, he is
survived by his wife and one child — WP 6 Jul 1912.

ROBINSON, W.L., 47, former superintendent of the B&O railroad shops in Martinsburg and superintendent
of the entire B&O fuel and locomotive system, died suddenly at his home in Jessups, near Baltimore,
Maryland — CDM 8 Aug 1930.

ROCKWELL, Franklin A. of Martinsburg has been named athletic director at Romney high school (Hampshire
County). He is a graduate of Hedgesville and Shepherd college and has received a medical discharge from the
Navy — CDM 6 Jul 1943.

ROCKWELL, John J., about 78 and a retired railroad worker, died of heart disease while walking on a
downtown street — 20 Dec 1935.

ROCKWELL, Mrs. Lillie May, 59, of Martinsburg, died of a heart attack even though physicians said she
had been suffering from tularemia (also called rabbit fever — a bacterial disease that can be
transmitted to humans through a rat bite or contact with infected animals). Mrs. ROCKWELL became ill after
cleaning a rabbit for Thanksgiving dinner — 15 Dec 1938.

ROCKWELL, W.F., the proprietor of a large novelty store in Martinsburg for the past eight years,
recently made an assignment to Attorney J.O. HENSON as trustee. The liabilities are estimated at $1,000
while the assets are given as double that amount — WP 4 Feb 1910.

ROCKWELL, William was found late Wednesday near his home in Berkeley County with a shotgun by his side,
and the acting coroner has given a finding of “probably accidental death” and determined an inquest is
unnecessary. Mr. ROCKWELL died from a single load near his heart — CDM 15 Sep 1933.

ROHRBAUGH, A.P., 55, a practicing attorney of Woodstock, Virginia, and former resident of Martinsburg
where he became prosecuting attorney, died at his home in Woodstock this morning. A native of Grafton,
Virginia, where he studied law, he began practicing about 30 years ago, upon moving to Martinsburg. He
married Miss Bessie SHAW of Clark County, Virginia, who survives him — 25 Oct 1905.

ROSS, Albert, 29, Negro, was killed and a coworker was slightly injured when a sudden rock slide
trapped them while they were drilling in a Standard Lime and Stone company underground quarry. Coroner C.G.
POWER said no inquest would be required since the death was accidental — CDM 5 May 1941.

ROW, Mary, the wife of William H. ROW of Russell Station near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, who deserted her
husband several months ago and went to Martinsburg with Harry BRECHBILL, wrote her husband that she wanted
to see him. Mr. ROW went to Martinsburg on June 9 and brought her back home after “she begged forgiveness,
promised to do right and asked to be taken back.” Last Wednesday, she ran away again, taking two children
with her and leaving a note she “could not stand the criticism of the neighbors.” One child, 10 years old,
refused to accompany her — NOI 29 Jun 1906.

ROWLAND, Mrs. Lyde Mae, missing from her Martinsburg home since July 1, has been located in Uniontown,
Pennsylvania, and has agreed to return, according to State Police Superintendent John W. BOSWORTH. Her
husband accompanied Sergeant J.P. HORN to the Pennsylvania city Wednesday night to contact her. Mr. BOSWORTH
will also receive the $100 reward after providing addition information — CDM 5 Sep 1941.

RUNKLES, Joseph died at his home in Martinsburg June 15 of senility. He was about 80 and is survived by
three children, deputy sheriff Morgan P. RUNKLES of Knoxville, Maryland, and a son and daughter in
Martinsburg (no names listed). The remains were taken to Knoxville, his previous home, where interment will
be in the Knoxville cemetery — NEWS 27 Jun 1925.

RUSSLER, Mrs. Ella Virginia, widow of Charles H. RUSSLER, of Martinsburg, died suddenly Monday morning
from heart failure. She was 62 and had been in failing health for about two years. She is survived by his
sister, Mrs. Jennie HOMBAUGH, McSherrystown, Pennsylvania — SS, 30 Mar 1916.

RUTLEDGE, Edward, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, but a resident of Martinsburg most of his life, died yesterday. He was 69 and had been a banker in the area from 1882 until his retirement three years ago. His funeral will be tomorrow. Mr. RUTLEDGE is survived by his widow and two children — CDM 19 Apr 1938.

RUTLEDGE, William of Martinsburg, a hotel keeper, notified David HORST, a liveryman in Hagerstown,
Maryland, that he might possibly know the man HORST was looking for in connection with the theft of a horse.
Some time ago, HORST lost a horse by hiring it to a stranger who never came back. He notified the hotel
owner in Martinsburg, as well as others, about this theft and Mr. RUTLEDGE said he had observed a man by
the name of R.H. CLUB, giving his address of Rockville, who arrived at the hotel and inquired of the
proprietor if he could put up a horse there. Even though he was told he could, the man never brought the
horse and that, combined with other circumstances, made Mr. RUTLEDGE suspicious. The sheriff of Berkeley
County visited the man's room at the hotel and found several letters that led him to believe the man's
"life had not been altogether free from suspicion and lawlessness in the past." A revolver was found. Mr.
HORST was called and the man confessed he was the one who never returned the animal and told the liveryman
where he traded or sold the animal. CLUB, about 25 years old, registered at the Continental Hotel as H.F.
CLARKE — HTL 17 Nov 1892.

RYNEAL, George Jr., a farmer, Washington, D.C. merchant and now a resident of Martinsburg, has donated
$1,000 to the fire department of the latter city for the betterment of the department — ET 5 Jan 1906.

RYNEAL, George Jr., 82, one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Martinsburg, died at his
home there yesterday afternoon following a long illness. He conducted an art supply store in Washington,
D.C. for many years and "amassed a fortune out of this business." He was "the father of the present
Martinsburg fire department" and was the owner of Honeywood farm in Berkeley County, one of the most
valuable estates in that area of West Virginia. He was unmarried and his fortune will go to several nieces
and nephews — WP 1 Dec 1917.

Newspapers (and Bibliography):
ACN — Adams County News, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
AS — Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
BDT — Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, West Virginia
BVCG — The Virginia Centinel or the Winchester Mercury (VCWM), 1788-1790, became Bowen's Virginia Centinel and Gazette or the Winchester Political Repository (BVCG) in 1790, and Bowen's Virginia Gazette and the
Winchester Centinel (BVCG) in February 1796; in early 1798, it became the Winchester Gazette (WG); covers the Winchester area - Frederick, Shenandoah, Berkeley, Hampshire and Loudon counties. The major collections are
at the Handley Library in Winchester. LC (LC), AAS, and Harvard. The VSL (VSL) has microfilm of issues 1788-1800. This repository information from the Colonial Source Records, 1600s-1700s, genealogy.com
CDM — The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, Virginia
CM — Charleston Mail, Charleston, Virginia
CMPA — Charleroi Mail, Charleroi, Pennsylvania
CMAG — The Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette, 1792-1800; covers the Alexandria area including Fairfax and Loudon counties. Major collections are at Harvard and LC (microfilm covering 18 Dec 1793 to 6 Dec 1800 is available)
CT — Chester Times, Chester, Pennsylvania
DG — The Daily Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana
DGB — Daily Gazette & Bulletin, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
DJ — Denton Journal, Denton, Maryland
DN — Daily News, Frederick, Maryland
EP — Evening Post, Frederick, Maryland
FD — Fayetteville Democrat, Fayetteville, Arkansas
FP — Frederick Post, Frederick, Maryland
FWJG — Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana
FWN — Fort Wayne News, Fort Wayne, Indiana
GC — Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
GT — Gettysburg Times, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
HTL — The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland
IEG — Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, Pennsylvania
IM — Indiana Messenger, Indiana, Pennsylvania
IP — Indiana Progress, Indiana, Pennsylvania
IO — The Impartial Observer, Shepherdstown, 1797; the only issues known are at Harvard; microfilm is available at the University of West Virginia, West Virginia Archives, and VSL
KG — The Kentucky Gazette, Lexington, 1787 +; covers the entire state of Kentucky and parts of Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. Major collections are at the Lexington Public Library, University of Chicago, LC, AAS, and Harvard
MJ — Maryland Journal and the Baltimore Advertiser, Baltimore, 1773-1797; covers the Baltimore area, the state of Maryland and adjacent Virginia and Pennsylvania. Major collections are at the Maryland Historical Society and LC
NDN — The Naugatuck Daily News newspaper, Naugatuck, Connecticut
NEWS — The News, Frederick, Maryland
NH — Norfolk Herald began in 1794 as The Herald, and Norfolk and Portsmouth Advertiser (HNPA). In 1795 it became The Herald for about a month; then in December 1795 it became the Norfolk Herald (NH). A year later, in November 1796, it became
The Norfolk Herald &mp; Public Advertiser (NHPA). In February 1798 it again became The Norfolk Herald; covers the Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Princess Anne area as well as Elizabeth City, Nansemond, Warwick, and Isle of Wight counties. Major collections
are at LC, the University of Virginia, AAS, Harvard, and the Philadelphia Library Company; VSL has microfilm of issues for 1794-96
NOI — New Oxford Item, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
PG — See PGBA
PGBA — The Potowmac Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser, Martinsburg, 1792-1800; a continuation of the paper of the same name published in Shepherdstown; became The Potomak Guardian (PG) in 1798; covers the Berkeley County area. The major collection is at Harvard and the VSL has microfilm
RC — Richmond Chronicle, 1795-1796; a continuation of the Virginia Gazette and Richmond Chronicle (VGRC); covers the Richmond area. Major collections are in the NYPL, Harvard, the Philadelphia Library Company, and LC; there is microfilm at the VSL
RMA — The Richmond and Manchester Advertiser, 1795-1796, a continuation of the Virginia Argus (Arg), 1796-1816; covers the Richmond area and adjoining counties especially Pittsylvania, Cumberland, and Goochland. Major collections are at Harvard, LC, VSL and AAS; VSL has microfilm
SS — The Staunton Spy, 1793-1795; became the Virginia Gazette (VGSWA) in early 1795; covers the Staunton area. Three of the five known issues are in the AAS; a microprint is available at LC and other major libraries
S&S — Star and Sentinel, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
TDT — The Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, West Virginia
VCWM — See BVCG
VG — The Virginia Gazette, 1780-1781; a continuation of The Virginia Gazette published at Williamsburg; covers the Richmond-Williamsburg area and adjacent counties; major collection are at the VSL, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the NYPL. The 1780 issues are included in the Virginia Gazette
microfilm produced by the Massachusetts Historical Society and by the Institute of Early American History and Culture
????VGAA — The Virginia Gazetteer the American Advertiser, Richmond, Virginia, 1781-1786. Major collections are at William and Mary, LC, NYPL, University of Michigan, VHS, AAS. VSL has microfilm of most known issues
VGPu — The Virginia Gazette (VGPu and VGCD), published by Alexander Purdie 1775-1779 and Clarkson and Davis until 1780; covers the entire state. Major collections are at LC, the Maryland Historical Society, Colonial Williamsburg, and the University of Virginia
VGWA — The Virginia Gazette and Winchester Advertiser, 1787-1791; covers the Winchester area. The major collection is at the Handley Library; VSL has a microfilm
VGR — The Virginia Gazette (VGR), published by William Rind 1766-1773 and by John Pinkney (VGP) 1774-1776; covers the entire state. Major collections are at LC, VHS, William and Mary, and AAS
VGRMA — The Virginia Gazette and Richmond and Manchester Advertiser, Richmond, 1793-1795; became The Richmond and Manchester Advertiser in 1795; covers the same area as the RMA. Major collections are at LC, AAS, VSL and the University of Chicago; VSL has microfilm of most known issues
VGWeA — The Virginia Gazette and Weekly Advertiser, Richmond, 1781-1797; covers the entire state, especially New Kent, Princess Anne, James City, Henrico, Spotsylvania and Chesterfield counties and the city of Richmond. Major collection are William and Mary, LC, Harvard, VSL, AAS, and VHS. VHS
has microfilm of issues at LC, Harvard, AAS and William and Mary; VSL has microfilm covering issues 1781-1797; University has microfilms 1787-1789
VJAA — The Virginia Journal and Alexandria Advertiser, Alexandria, 1784-1789' covers the Alexandria area including Berkeley, Fairfax and Loudon counties, but may include information from Richmond, Powhatan, and Prince William counties. Major collections are at AAS and the Missouri Historical Society;
a microfilm covering the known issues is available
WG — Winchester Gazette (see BVCG)
WN — Weekly News, Frederick, Maryland
WP — Washington Post, Washington, D.C.